The famous instant messaging app, Whatsapp, has been launched for several platforms, both for iOS/iPadOS, as well as for Android mobile devices, and even for desktop operating systems, such as the version for macOS, or the 32 and 64-bit version for Microsoft Windows 8 or higher. On the other hand, you also have at your disposal a multiplatform version such as the web-based one, which you can use from any compatible web browser.
Therefore, there is no native version of WhatsApp for GNU / Linux distrosAlthough that doesn't mean it can't be used. If you want to run WhatsApp from your favorite distro and write more comfortably using the keyboard, you can do so with its web version. you just have to go to this address and follow the steps to activate the session using a QR code, for which you will need your mobile device on which you have the WhatsApp app installed:
- open whatsapp
- Touch the three dots or Settings.
- Click on Paired Devices.
- When the camera is activated, scan the QR code that appears on WhatsApp Web.
- Then you will be logged in and you can start using it.
If you are wondering if you can use a native Microsoft Windows app to run it on your Linux distro, the truth is that you can try to install it using programs like Crossover or the WINE compatibility layer. Thanks to them you can use the Windows app in the absence of a native one. However, it is not the most efficient or the best. The best option for Linux users who want to use WhatsApp is to use the web version, as I have mentioned before.
That will save you some hardware resources and having to deal with some problems that can occur when installing a non-native app and running it properly.